Soil irrigator



Feb. 28, 1928. 1,660,891

- J. c. s EARLE. sR

son. lamanon' Filed oct. 12. 1925 3 sheets-sheet 1 HNO: nu,

Feb. 2s, 192s. A 1,660,891

J. C. SEARLE, SR

SOIL IRRIGATOH Fned oct. 12. 1925 s .sheets-sheet 2.

J. c. sEARLE, sn

Feb. 28, 1928.

SOIL IRRIGATOR Filed Oct. 12. 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 BY y ATTORNEY am.; ab. 28,1928; 1,660,891 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE...

JOHN COOE'ER SFAR-LE, SR., OF IIONOLULU, TERRITORY HAWAII, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-TEVENTIETH TO JOI-IIJ' COOPER SEAItLE, JR., OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA; ONE-TTENTIETH TO EIDWARII OOC* "'"lt 'llltRIiE, OF HILO, TERRITORY OF HAWAII;

ONE-TEVENIIETI-I TO THODORE COOPER SEABLE, HAWAII; ONCETINEUIIETHf TO MELVILLE COOPER or noNotULu, rnnnrrory or snARLn AND ONE-TWENTIETH rro CLARENCE oooriin sEAaLE, Born or SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

SOIL IRRIGATOR.

Application led October 12, 1925. Serial No. 62,130.

The present invention relates to improvements in soil irrigating apparatus of the type shown in my former Patent No. 1,107f 119, dated August 11th, 19111.

The general object ot my invention is the provision of an apparatus adapted for conveying water from a relatively remote point of supply, and operating automatically in response to the iow oit the conveyed water to distribute the same iuiilormly over a relatively large circular area of ground.

The above and other object-s are accomplished by instrumentalities pointed out in the following speciiication.

The invention is clearly defined in the claim.

A satisfactory embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of the specification and in which- Figure 1 is a contracted side elevation of my device in use,iparts thereof being broken away to disclose the construction and relation of other parts. l

Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure l1.

Figure 3 is `a .detail cross-section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2Q Figure 4: is a detail longitudinal section ot' the gravity operated tank lor propelling the sprinkler arm.

Figure 5 is a section along the line .5-5 of Figure 3.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a tower a. In the embodiment shown, this tower is anchored to the ground and forms one of a series of towers erected at different selected portions of the entire area to be irrigated. Water may be pumped to these towers :trom an ordinary irrigation ditch or the towers may be piped to a watermain and water conveyed by gravity. It is to be understood, however, that this description of my device is simply illustrative and7 from What will hereinafter appear when taken in connection with my prior patent above re* terred to, it will be readily understood that the device of this invention is susceptible of being incorporated into the structure shown in the said patent for a travelling irri gator in lieu of the sprinkler arms shown thereira in 'which event the irrigating dium could be delivered to the sprinkler arm in the manner shown in the said patent or by any other well-known means.

In the embodimentfshown, the tower a is a skeleton structure formed of a plurality of concrete pillars 5 upon the upper end of which is dispo-sed a cap stone 6. A water. pipe 7 passes vertically upward through the center of the stone 6 and through the center of a worm wheel 8 which is rigidly supiw ported againstrotation upon the upper end tion and toward the tree end thereof so that the weight will be progressively reduced from the inner to the outer endA of the said longer projecting portion. I provide a series ot nozzles 13 on the lower side of the lon` er projecting end pipe l1, and these nozz es are valve controlled so as to be adjustedQand operate with the tapered bore of the `ipe to provide for a uniform distribution'owater throughout the length of the longer projecting portion of the pipe. The innermost of the nozzles 13 is spaced from the head approximately :for a distance equal to the length of the shorter projecting end portion 1 of the pipe, andv the latter on its inside is provided with a series of outlet openings which deliver water to the surface of the ground in the. area included between the innermost nozzle 13 and the head 10.

In the construction shown the sprinkler arm is formed by securing a series of cross bars 14: in spaced relation upon the pipe 11. Uprights 15 are connected to the opposite ends ot the cross bars and support at their upper ends cross bars 16, the adjacent u rights being connected by truss rods 17. n

this way the pipe 11 is held supported a truss.- u nutlet section l@ is svuvel'ed to the upper end ot' the water pipe 7 and is adapted to be connected to an upper cross member ot Jrhe truss. Figure 8 shows the section 18 connected to a cap 18 which in turn is rotatable in a coupling;l 9. rthe coupling connects the section 18 to the pipe Z and is also carried by the tubular base 9. The section 18 'further operates as a head and brace for the truss and is adapted to turn with the sprinkler arm. The tree end portion ot the section 18 is Vcurved downwardly and constitutes the delivery end 01"' the Water pipe 7. A bracket 2O extends vertically upward from a platform supported by the truss, and is disposed to one side of the Water pipe 7.' The bracket is provided with a cross bar which .terms a bearing for a web 22 that depends :troni the central portion ot the bottom oit' a gravity actuated tank c. rhc upper end ot the tank is open and underlies the delivery end ot the rotatable extension 18 ot the water pipe, and a partition 9A extending transversely ot 'the central portion ot the tank divides the tank interiorly into compartments Q5 and A p air of depending` rods ai" and 28 are pivotcd to opposite side portions ot the web QQ. and their lower end portions are provided with paivls 29 which are adapted to alternately engage with oppositely Vdisposed ratchcts 30 on the opposite ends ot' a vorm shatt 31 that meshes With the Worm Wheel 8 and is journaled in the lower ends ot hangers 3l secured to the sprinkler arm rllhe pawls 29 are so disposed as not to engage with their respective ratchets when the tank c is in equilibrium; but when the tank rocks to either side, lone of the rods is raised and the other lowered, and the pawl ot the latter rod then engages its respective ratchet and operates to turn the same under the pressure transmitted thereto trom the tank. The turning oit the ratchet rotates the Worm 32 and advances the same upon the ivorm wheel 8, vso that the turning` movement is imparted to the sprinkler arm.

A. pair of tanks 33 and 34 are disposed on either' side ot the head 10 and communicate with the Water pipe 11. These tanks have upper open ends and are respectively disposed directly underneath the outlets 35 and 36 oit the compartments Q5 and 26 ot the tank c. The outlets and 3G are controlled by valves, as indicated by 87, and the valves 37 are operated by oats 40. The tank 33 on the shorter extension et the pipe 13 is considerably7 greater in capacity than the opposite tank 34, so that the increase in weight resulting from the enlarged. tank 83 will in a measure counterbalance the Weight ot the opposite end portion ot the sprinkler arm. l

In operati n, the tank c is initially tilted to one side or the other sothat only one of the compartments thcreo'll alines With the tilted end ot' the Water pipe'. The tank is held in this position until the lace within the compartment receivii Water is filled at which time the tloat l() o Y Viat compartment trips the valve S7 and the .i'ater discharges through the outlet and into one ot the loiver tanks. The prepond/nating` v-.ieight ot the water will operate upon release ot' -tne tank to tilt the saine, whereupon the opposite compartment Will be rocked into position to receive water. llfatcr will then iioiv into the last named compartment until the valve thereof is opened by the action ot the Water Y upon the lioat.y ln this Way the tank c is auton'iatically rocked and the sprinkler arm Y) caused to rotate and deliver the Water upon the area ot ground located therebeneath.

Although l have shown and described. one embodiment ot my invention, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible ot various changes; and l reserve t ie right to employ such as may come Within the scope ot the appended claim.

l claim:

A soil irrigating device comprising; a tower, a Water supply pipe having' a rotatable outlet end portion connected to the upper end portion et the tower, a si'ninkler arm rotatably connected to tbe tower below the outlet ot the supply pitje, a driving corr uection between the tower and the arm inv cluding` a Worm gear rigidly secured to vthe tower and a Worm rotatably mounted upon the arm, a ratchet secured to the Worm, a compartmental oscillating Water holding),- receptacle connected to thearin and arranged to receive water discharged Yfrom the outlet end ot the supply pipe and deliver the Water to the arm, said receptacle havina` a pawvl engaging the ratchet and movable Vby the Weight ot a quantity ot Water discharged into one of its compartments to operate thc Worm to turn the sprinkler arm.

JOHN COOPER S tulllill, fda. 

